Getting to Know Jesus by Name# 59: Mediator

 

We are once again in I Timothy 2, where we saw that Jesus was The Man for the job God wanted done: 

5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Jesus is our Mediator.  This is connected to Him being The Man.  A mediator is "One that mediates between parties at variance to reconcile differences."*  In order to be the perfect Mediator, He needed to be both God and Man. He had to be the sacrifice and the One making the sacrifice.  He had to be of enough value and influence with God to be the One God would accept and deal with. He had to be One God could trust to make and agreement just for both sides of the table.  The writer of  Hebrews spells this out in explaining what a superior High Priest Jesus was to any other priest ever.  In the Old Testament all of the great men who God used to Mediate between God and man: Moses, the Prophets and the priesthood all fell short of being the Perfect Mediator that Christ and Christ alone is. Returning to the context of  Paul's challenge here: since we have the Perfect Mediator, let us go to God through Him in prayer. 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #58: Man of Sorrows

Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men,

    a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
    he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
    and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
    smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
    we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
    yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
    and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
    so he opened not his mouth.

Like the hymnist says: Man of Sorrows, what a name. The term means: "deep distress, sadness."* Isaiah finds a long list of causes here: He was despised, rejected, grieved, smitten, afflicted, crushed, pierced, wounded, laid on, oppressed, slaughtered - all these things for no cause of His own.  He bore the greatest emotional and spiritual burden ever, for all men ever.  This passage is one we need to return to often, lest we ever forget what Christ has done for us.  

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #57: The Man

I Timothy 2:1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 

As Paul calls us to prayer, his big incentive is this: we have The Man.  We often use that phrase "You're the man." to indicate that someone is the best person for the job or challenge.  As Savior and Mediator, Jesus is The Man - in fact the only One Who can do what needs to be done.  He needed to be God and Man.  A Man is an "adult individual, an adult male human, (and represents) Mankind."*  Paul makes a point of this in Romans 5 as well, when He talks about Christ being our representative Head, taking our place when dying for our sins.  Christ is in every way The Man we need, through whom we can plead.

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #56: Majestic One

 Isaiah 33: 20 Look at Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;
Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an undisturbed settlement,
A tent which will not be folded;
Its stakes will never be pulled up,
Nor any of its ropes be torn apart.
21 But there the majestic One, the Lord, will be for us
A place of rivers and wide canals
On which no boat with oars will go,
And on which no mighty ship will pass—
22 For the Lord is our judge,
The Lord is our lawgiver,
The Lord is our king;
He will save us—

Of all the Old Testament prophets, Isaiah had the most to say about the coming Messiah.  In this chapter he was speaking to those who had been taken captive into exile, many transported in ships, encouraging them that there would be a return, and that once they came back, no ship would come by and take them away again.  In the middle of this promise, He points to Christ, the Majestic One, who is Lord of the seas, King over all, Who would save them and bring them back to His palace, where they will never be taken away again.  As Diann Cotton points out in her book "Majestic" means "stately, large, impressively beautiful." He is overwhelming - much greater than all the empires with their ships, palaces and mighty towers - His "tent" is much more stable and glorious than all the buildings of this world.

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #55: Lord of Lords

 

I Timothy 6:13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

As we have seen before, in his final charge to Timothy Paul piled up these names for Jesus including Lord of Lords.  A lord is a "person who has authority, control, or power over others; a master or ruler; a title given to God or Jesus Christ."*  During His ministry on earth, Christ's followers called Him Lord more and more, but after His sacrificial death, burial, resurrection and ascension, He became known for Who He really is: Lord of all Lords. The sentence does not end here, as Paul goes on to say "who alone" - He is the only One: He rises above all others in every perfection. He is the One worthy to have authority over all. 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #54: Lord of Glory

I Corinthians 2:7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
    nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—
10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

As Paul is talking about the ministry of his missionary band sharing the Gospel, he refers to that fact that so many seemingly religious people had rejected it and rejected Christ, The Lord of Glory. He is saying that they never would have done so if they had properly understood the scriptures and listened to the Spirit of God as He revealed the truths in them.  God sent His son to be revealed as the Lord of Glory. As we have seen before a Lord is: "a ruler by hereditary right or preeminence to whom service and obedience are due: God, Jesus."*  Glory has to do with "Something that secures praise or renown; great duty and splendor; magnificence; brilliance; something that brings honor, praise or fame."*  God wants to be known - not just to show off, but so we will recognize His great glory, and turn to Him and trust in Him. Since the Father is Spirit and cannot be "seen", He sent His Son Who could be seen to reveal His glory. But Satan has blinded the spiritual eyes of man so they cannot see God's glory, even when right in front of him.  This, however, does not make it impossible at all, for God's Spirit is Greater, working in any willing heart, to see and trust in Him.  

*(Diann Cotton: 100 days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #53: Lord God Almighty

Revelation 4:8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
    who was and is and is to come!”
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they existed and were created.”

As John was receiving His revelation from God, He saw the Lamb on the Throne, but He also heard the angels testify: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty." As we saw yesterday, the Lord is "one having power and authority over others; a ruler by hereditary right or preeminence to whom service and obedience are due." God, as we have seen before, is: "A being that has great power, strength, knowledge; the Being perfect in power, wisdom and goodness, who is worshipped as creator and ruler of the universe; a person or thing of great value." and Almighty means: " Having absolute power over all; relatively unlimited in power or importance.  When we put them all together we find that Jesus is Lord of all and worthy of our praise, obedience and service."* May we live our lives today in such a way that we can do what we are doing and sing this song of praise consistently: "Holy, Holy Holy are You, Lord God Almighty."

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #52: Lord

 John 21:  7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. 9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 

Jesus Christ is The Lord.  Not long before this event, Thomas, upon seeing the Risen Christ declared: "My Lord and My God." Even before that, when many had left off following after Jesus, and He asked the faithful ones why they did not, they replied: "Lord, where else and to whom would we go? The Lord is very fitting to describe Christ.  But we hear that name so often we forget what it means: "On having power and authority and leadership over others; one to whom service and obedience are due."* Do you call Jesus "Lord?"  Do we stop to think what that implies in our response?

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #51: Living Wather

John 4:!0 Jesus replied to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 She *said to Him, “Sir, You have no bucket and the well is deep; where then do You get this living water? 12 You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well and drank of it himself, and his sons and his cattle?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.”

In this conversation, Jesus identifies Himself as the Living Water that gives eternal life.  The picture of living as an adjective to describe the water is that it is: "alive, having life, active; functioning, full of life and vigor; not dead", and of course water: "the liquid that has no color, taste or smell; that falls from clouds as rain; that forms seas, lakes and streams, and that is used for drinking."*  We would add to that the fact that living water is moving, fresh and refreshing.  Like rain, Christ has come down to give life and refresh, to indeed make us so we are "not dead."  Jesus offered this woman and us Himself and all the life we need.

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #50: Living Stone

 I Peter 2:4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
    a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Peter once again puts together here a picture of Jesus with multiple names and descriptions, one of which is Living Stone.  The combination of those two words itself strikes us as odd, as we think of a stone being an inanimate object. Living means "having life, active; functioning, full of life and vigor; not dead," while a stone is "a piece of rock for a specified function; a building block; a paving block; a precious stone."*  The emphasis is that Jesus is full of life - in fact, the author and giver of life, and at the same time He had a specific purpose when He came - to die. But now that He has risen from the dead, He is that living stone, the cornerstone around which all of God's people come together.  There is also this sense in which Christ is a priceless stone, valued by the Father and to be praised and served by His people through our lives. 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #49: Lion

Revelation 5: 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Yesterday we looked at Jesus as the Lamb; today we look at what we would consider the opposite: the Lion.  A Lion, when used to describe a person, means: "A person of outstanding interest or importance; a very important, powerful, or successful person; a wild cat that had golden brown fur."*  Once again, the use of the article indicates that Christ is the person of importance and power, and He has been successful at accomplishing the greatest feat of all: conquering sin, death, and hell.  This indeed makes him worthy of worship and thanksgiving as the only One able to do this, and the only One worthy to open the scroll. 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days of Worship)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #48: Light

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John the Apostle uses many names and pictures to show use Christ, but the one He begins with is The Light.  For us, light is so every day we do not fully appreciate the impact of what John was saying. We see lights everywhere we go: from our ceilings to magnificent cityscapes to the little power indicators on our gadgets. They are everywhere. All we do is flick a switch and we have instant light, until the power goes out.  Light is: "Something that makes vision possible; the brightness produced by the sun, by fire, by lamp."*  It requires a power source and something (or Someone) to  connect that power. As John goes on to show, Light reveals Truth, and without Truth, there is no life. Indeed, without the Light we would have no life at all: physical or spiritual.. So, when John calls Jesus the Light, he really is turning the switch on.

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #47: Life

 

John 14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus is The Life. Life, simply put, is being "a vital being."*  He is what we need to exist, to have purpose, to know and experience.  Being The Life, Christ is not only the source of life, He defines what matters in our existence.  Christ gave us all physical life and has brought Eternal Life to His own.  Being the last in this list in the "I Am" statement, it is as if His being the way and showing the truth leads to the ultimate gift: Life. As with all of these names of Jesus, this should well within us what Paul seeks to express when he says: "Thanks be to God for His Indescribable Gift."  Today, may we give God thanks for our lives, and seek from Jesus what He wants us to do with this precious gift He has given. 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #46: Lamb

John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

John the Baptist had been waiting to meet the Messiah.  God had told him he would, and how he would know that it was Him, so when that happened, of all the names he could have used to introduce Him, he chose Lamb of God.  The next day he did the very same thing.  Obviously, there was a picture John had in mind.  A "lamb" was specifically "a young sheep", which in Israel was often used as a "sacrifice: the act of giving up something you want to keep, especially in order to get or do something else or help someone."*  This name speaks so much of purpose, value, and intent.  God sacrificed His sone to get us back, to help us out, because He values our relationship with Him so much.  Jesus as a "young sheep" was just setting out on His commitment to do just that.  The length of His path would be brief but complete, just like the lambs offered for sacrifice, but it would be full of intent and value - enough to pay for the sins of us all. 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #45: King of Kings

I Timothy 6:13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

Yesterday, in the opening of this letter, we saw Paul refer to Jesus as The King.  Now that He is winding down and concluding the letter, the name has become King of Kings.  As we saw, a King is a "male sovereign or monarch; a man who holds by life tenure; the chief authority over a country and people."* Paul here notes that not only is Jesus a King or even The King, but the King of Kings, the ultimate authority over all countries and peoples.  When Jesus appeared before Pilate, one of the "charges" was that He proclaimed to be King. Pilate pressed Jesus as to the truth of that statement, but didn't know what to do with The King on his hands.  Our charge, as citizens of His kingdom, is to "keep the commandment unstained" - to live as pure and obedient citizens under Christ as our King. 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #44: King

 

As Paul concludes his opening prayer in his First letter to Timothy, he says:

 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Overwhelmed by the fact that Christ came to earth to show God's mercy to us, Paul concludes by calling Him The King. He is not any old king; He is The King: "The male ruler of the country who usually inherits his position and rules for life," which Paul then goes on to describe even further: Eternal: having no beginning and no end in time, lasting forever; Immortal: Not capable of dying, living forever; Invisible: incapable by nature of being seen."* Of course, what adds to the fact of this all is that the Invisible has made Himself "visible" in coming to earth, and He will someday let us all see Him in His palace. We will be in the eternal audience of  The King. He will not leave the building, and we will not need to either. 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #43: Judge

Acts 10: 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Yesterday we saw that the name Jesus means "one who saves or delivers"; today we find the flip side: He is also the Judge. As such He is "One Who has power to make decision on cases brought before a court of law; One Who makes a decision or judgment."*  Such a decision could go either way: for or against; innocent or guilty; righteous or rejected.  It actually is consistent with what Jesus often said about Himself. He did not come to condemn, but deliver, yet, the one who refuses Him is condemned already; the judge will have no choice to say "guilty". After all, one willing to give His life for the sin of all should rightfully be allowed His day as Judge.

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #42: Jesus

Philippians 2:9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

We are almost half-way through our study on knowing Jesus by name and are just now getting to the name we know Him by best: Jesus:  "God Who Saves; God is the Savior."* Throughout scripture and history there had and have been others with that name, or forms of it, like Joshua, but this One is the One Who defines it best.  The verses before those above retell the fact that Jesus left the glories of heaven to come down to be our Savior, our deliverer.  History is now filled with songs focusing on this one name: the name of Jesus.  As Peter says in Acts, His is the one name by which we can be saved.  Jesus is the name that someday every knew will bow before and every tongue confess: He is Savior and He is Lord. 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #41: Intercessor

Hebrews 7:23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

The big word in Hebrews is Better. Jesus is infinitely better than all who have gone before Him: men, angels, or systems of worship. He is also the better Intercessor. An intercessor is one who offers: "prayer, petition, or entreaty in favor of another; who pleads for the needs of someone else; mediates."* All of the priests before Him, who offered up sacrifices and prayers on behalf of God's people, died.  They died because they were not sinless, not perfect.  Having risen and ascended back to the Father, Jesus is in a totally unique position. He is able to intercede for us in a way no other ever could: He knows what it is like to live as man; He sees things from both perspectives - heaven and earth; He will never leave his post unattended, forever.  He is able to save, and He is always available for us to call out to Him.  What is holding us back?

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #40: Indescribable Gift

13 Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, 14 while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. 15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Paul was wrapping up his challenge to the Corinthians concerning the gift he and his team would be coming to collect, which was to be used for suffering believers in Judea. One of his main points was that one sign of saving faith was generosity - that because of God's great generosity in giving His Son for us, we as Christ-followers should be characterized by generosity. As he closes this challenge, he is almost at a loss for words thinking about God's great Gift, so He calls Him Indescribable - "Impossible to describe; very great or extreme: inexpressible." And He is The Gift: "Something voluntarily transferred from one person to another without compensation; present."*  Indeed, what an appropriate name for Jesus Christ, the greatest Gift ever. 

(*Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #39: Immanuel

 Matthew 1: 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us)

Diann Cotton, in her book 100 Days with Jesus, picks apart and elaborates on each of those last three words.  "God - the perfect and all-powerful spiritual or being that is worshipped as the one who created and rules the universe. With - used to say that people or things are together in one place. Us - people in general."  God, creator and sustainer of the universe, came to be with mankind. That overwhelming thought demands some sort of response from us.  What we see in the gospels is all sorts of response from worship to rejection to running away into the darkness. What is interesting is how Joseph responded to that news: 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. His response was obedience.  God is with us; may we obey. 

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #38: Image of God

II Corinthians 4: 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Christ is the very Image of God. From Him we get the perfect picture of what God is really like. An image is: "a tangible of visual representation of something; exact likeness; semblance; incarnation."* The "god of this world" does not want people to get a glimpse of what He is like, or else they will be drawn to Him.  He loves to keep people in darkness with him.  Those of us who believe in Christ have "gotten a glimpse" of what God is really like; we have seen the light; we know Who God is and what His plan and purpose is. May God give us more light in Christ, and help us be the light and give enough of a "glimpse" to draw others to Him.  

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #37: I AM

John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

The Gospel of John is well-known for its great "I AM" statements, where Jesus uses different pictures to describe His character and His purpose, but none is more powerful than this simple statement here: I AM.  The verb AM means to be, exist; to have existence or being."*  There is no predicate nominative, leaving us to fill in the blank: "I Am before Abraham Existed... I am before anyone existed."  The implication of His statement was that He claimed to be God, and He was and is.  Such blasphemy moved these men to want to kill Him, because He had insulted their "father",  Abraham.  When Jesus claims to be I AM, He is saying He is equal with God, and as such is the source of all life, all being, all reality.  Jesus knew saying this would get such a response, and was ready to slip away, knowing His time had not yet come.  

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #36: Humble

 Philippians 2:5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

To me, this is one of the most exciting passages in scripture. We find here that Jesus is the definition of Humble.  The term used here has a meaning that is deep and wide: "Not proud or haughty; not arrogant or assertive; ranking low in hierarchy or scale; insignificant, unpretentious; not thinking of yourself  as better than other people."* It is a good thing for us that Christ is so humble.  If not, He never would have come to earth; He never would have given Himself as a sacrifice for us; He never would have given us the time of day.  But because of His humility, He offers us eternity; He gives us real life; He wants to take us back home with Him.  

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #35: The Hope of Glory

 

Colossians 1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 

Jesus Christ is the Hope of Glory.  Hope is "to expect with confidence, trust; reliance; desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment: foundation or ground of hope, " while Glory is "praise, honor, or distinction extended by common consent; renown: worshipful praise, honor, and thanksgiving: a distinguished quality or asset; great beauty and splendor; magnificence."* Because of Christ and Him alone, we, together, have a confidence that Christ in all of His glory will come back and take us with Him.

(*Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name#34: Holy and Righteous One

 

Acts 3: 13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. 14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead.

We are back here in Acts 3, where God had just used Peter and John to heal the lame man and given them the opportunity to preach to the crowds.  Here the names, and therefore the characteristics of Jesus Christ abound. He is the Holy and Righteous One. To be Holy is to be "Exalted or worthy of complete devotion; as one perfect in goodness and righteousness; divine." and to be Righteous is: "acting in accord with divine or moral law; free from guilt or sin."* Therefore, in context, these two words are perfectly fitting to describe Jesus: He was innocent of the crimes of which He was accused and of any sin at all. He died as a substitute not only for the murderer who was released, but for us all.  If there is anything lacking in the definitions above, it is that Holy implies a total uniqueness that no one else can fill: only He could do this. Only Jesus, as the sinless Son of God, could be the substitute for us.  May we not deny Him as they had. 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #33: His Servant

Acts 3:11 While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's. 12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.

Having been used by God to heal a lame man in the temple, Peter stood up to explain what had happened. He wanted people to realize first and foremost that it was not by His power, but by that of God's Servant. That name: His Servant, the Servant of the Lord, would hit home with these people as the One who came from their line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but also was the One prophesied by Isaiah - the Messiah.  Peter says point-blank: "Jesus is that Servant."  Diann Cotton, in her book 100 Days with Jesus, points out that a servant is simply "one that serves others; one that is in the service of another." In other words, as His Servant, Jesus was not only God's Servant; He served us as well.  He did what God wanted Him to do, which was to do what we needed done for us. Even now, as Peter points out, Jesus is serving the Father, by doing for us what we need, like healing that man in the temple.  How much does He do for us that we either are ignorant of or refuse to recognize? Thank God for His Servant. 

Getting to Know Jesus by Name #32: Healer

 Matthew 8:14 And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.

Because of so many incidents like above, Jesus came to be known as "The Healer."  He healed many of both physical and spiritual ailments - far above any other physicians or religious leaders had or have ever done.  A healer is "one who makes sound or whole; to restore to health; to cause (an undesirable condition) to be overcome."*  As we can see yet in the world today, even with all of our healthcare and civilization, the need is almost endless.  Jesus got up every day knowing they crowds would be pressing Him, waiting and wanting to be healed.  He does still heal today, and will someday do away with everything that needs to be healed. 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)